SAC Research

Many farmers are considering wintering their cattle outside as a lower cost alternative to housing them through winter. This Defra-funded project looks at the social, economic and environmental impacts of outwintering cattle on so called ‘sacrifice fields’. This is defined as a field or part of a field that is allowed to deteriorate as a result of winter grazing.

The aim of the project is to investigate the impacts of the use of grass sacrifice fields for outwintering cattle.  Outputs from this research will include a matrix of impacts and tradeoffs, alongside a typology of outwintering activities.  We will also provide a set of best practice guidelines for farmers to minimise any negative impact and help to maximise the benefits from outwintering.

There are three main objectives set for this project:

• to identify parameters that quantify the impacts of out-wintering cattle in social, economic and environmental terms
• to establish the sensitivities of impacts from out-wintering, which emerge from various bio-physical and management strategies
• to evaluate the barriers and potential for adoption of strategies to mitigate against these negative impacts

The project runs for five years, starting February 2009, and consists of measurement and modelling work to understand the implications of outwintering on the environment, animal welfare and economy. 

A multi-disciplinary team has been assembled, comprising environmental scientists, environmental and economic modellers, alongside animal nutritionists and livestock consultants within SAC, Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), Aberystwyth and Harper Adams University College to answer this question.  Consequently, this provides an example of an integrated approach to identifying and minimising negative impacts of an important agricultural activity.

Project Number:  53810150

Defra

Partnership between SAC, Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), Aberystwyth and Ibers.